Film drier



Dec. 5, 1933. L. B. PAMBRUN 1,938,400

FILM DRIER Filed May 2, 1932 2 Shams-Sheet l INVENTQR Dec. 5, 1933. L. B, PAMBRUN FILM DRIER Filed May 2, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w m a U 5 u u M m m M. u u U \a m\. u .h l U a i 1/ L ma h j FIG-3 lNVENTOR Agape/d5. Pant/"w? A TORNEY Patented Dec. 5 1933 FILM DRIER Leopold B. Pambrun, Oak Park, 111., assignor to General Electric X-Itay Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application May 2. 1932. Serial No. 608,583

IClaim.

The invention has to do with the drying of photographic films or the like and relates more particularly to a device adapted to use as a drying agent air exhausted from a film developing room.

Usually a dark room, where photographic films are developed, is close and very poorly ventilated. This is due to the nature of the work performed in the room'and the necessity for excluding light.

It is proposed to install in the wall of a dark room the present film drier which uses an air stream as a medium for drying the films within the device. The intake of the drying device leads from the dark room, while the exhaust thereof is at the outside of the dark room. The air circulated through the device in this manner is made to serve a dual purpose, freshening the air of the dark room and concurrently drying the films within the device.

An object of the present invention is to provide in the wall of a dark room a film drier which is equally accessible from either the interior or exterior side of the room, but not concurrently.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for a film drier adapted to be placed within thewall of a dark room and having a door opening to either the inner or outer side of said room, a. mechanism for precluding the opening of either of the doors thereto while the opposite door is open.

Still another object of the present invention is to dispose in a film drier a heating element and a prime mover for a fan to pass air about said heating element, the prime mover being arranged to operate independently of the heating unit, while the heating unit is arranged so that it is energized only when the prime mover is operating.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for the drying of films and which provides for the inserting or extracting of films from at least two sides.

With the above objects and other objects in view, the invention is hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings hereby made a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a two doored device embodying the invention with the front door thereof in an open position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a fan and heating element and motor therefor used with the invention illustrated in Figure 1, there being a schematic electric circuit in connection with said figure;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the device taken at the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical view of the back side of the device with the back door removed;

Figure 5 is a detail in cross-section of a rack for holding film drying frames as indicated at the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

I Figure 6 is a perspective view of a means forr manipulating the doors of the device; and

Figure 7 is a different view of the mechanism shown in Figure 6 and as indicated at the line 7--7 of Figure 1. 7

Like reference characters are used throughout the following description and in the drawings to indicate similar parts.

The device as shown in Figure 1 may be seated upon a base 10 which may be substantially rectangular in shape. Side members 11 and 12 rise from the base 10 to form respectively the right and the left side walls of the drier. The panels 11 and 12 are joined at their lower ends and at their front and back edges by transverse members 13. Similarly, at the top of the side members and extending therebetween at their front and back edges, are panels 14. Thus a suitable housing is formed. The base 10 as well as the side and frontpanels and the top 15, are preferably formed from sheet metal.

The opening encircled by the side panels 11 and 12 and the panels 13 and 14 is closed by a door 16 hung upon hinges 17. The opposite opening in the back side of the device is closed in a like manner by a door 18."

Upon the top of the housing 15 is a blower fan 19 with an electrical heating element 20 disposed within an intake hood 21 therefor. For driving the fan 19 there is an electric motor 22. In Figure 2, isa diagram of an electric circuit supplying energy to the heating element 20 and to the motor 22. The main circuit 23 supplies energy to both the motor 22 and the heating element 20. A switch 24 serves to interrupt the power to both the elements 20 and 22, while a switch 25 serves to cut off the power to the heating element only. Thus, for any power to be delivered to the heating element 20, it is necessary that the circuit to the motor be closed so that the motor 22 will be operated whenever the heating element is energized. By opening the switch 25, however, it is possible to energize the motor independently of the heating element. This being the case, the heating element, when energized, is always supplied with a draft of air and cannot be overheated or be allowed to perform useless work.

Air which is drawn through the hood 21 by the fan 19 and driven past the heating element 20 is removed from a dark room and forced downwardly through the housing of the device and out thereof by an outlet 26, the latter leading to some convenient place external to the dark room. There may be an air conduit (not shown) leading from said outlet. The doors 16 and 18 generally are closed while air is being drawn in atthe opening 21 and discharged at the outlet 26.

Disposed within the housing of the device as shown are means for hanging two groups of films for drying, one or these groups being placed above the other. In Figures 1, 3 and 4, the method of suspending racks for holding a group of films in a spread position for drying is illustrated.

Attached to the walls 11 and 12 in any suitable manner as by riveting are side brace members 27 and 28. These members are disposed within the same horizontal plane.

To the brace 28 is secured a channel member 28a. slidably contained within the channel of the member 280. is a rod 28b of rectangular section congruent to said channel and to keep the rod from rotation about its principal axis. The rod 28b is conterminous with the brace 28. The back end of the rod 281) is broadened and apertured to accommodate the securance of one leaf of a hinge 280. A rack 29 is attached to the other leaf of the hinge for swinging in a horizontal plane.

The rack 29 has at its end, opposite to that where it is hinged, a latch 30 operated by a handle 31, for engaging and disengaging a looking piece 32 upon the brace 27. A cross-section of the rack 29 is found in Figure 5. A number of evenly spaced apertures 33 are provided in the inner wall 34 of the rack. Immediately beneath each of, the apertures 33 is a notch 35 formed in a narrow flange 36. Rods 37 used for hanging films may be supported in a manner perpendicularly to the rack 29 by having an end inserted into the apertures 33, the rod bearing against the under side of a step 38. (See Figure 5.)

Suspended from each of the rods 3'7 is a frame member having side and end pieces 39 and 40 respectively, there being a proper number of clips 41 attached to the frame member for engaging the edges of a film. The. clips 41 are arranged to hold the film, not shown, in a taut spread position, or in a flat plane. The side members 39 may be made to engage the rods 37 by means of a short sleeve 42.

To dislodge one of the frames 37 from the rack 29 after a film thereon has been sufficiently dried, it is only necessary to elevate the free end of the frame 37 slightly after which it may be pulled directly from the opening 33. Preferably, the racks 29 are attached at the back side of the housing. Hence the unseating of the frames 37 in the racks 29 from the front of the housing as is the normal practice is very easily done. the-front door open. To either insert or extract the frames from the racks 29 by way of the back side opening, the front door is closed and the rear door opened after which the latch 30 is released. With the latch released the rack 29 may be pulled backwardly to slide the rod It is of course accomplished with.

outwardly of the channel piece 28a. When the rack has been withdrawn from the cabinet far enough to clear the inner ends of the frames 37 of the cabinet opening, the rack may be swung about the hinge 28c to make the frames readily accessible.

Within the housing and opposite the top of the door openings is disposed a second rack exactly like the rack 29 and hingedly attached at the end of a rod 75a in the same manner as is the rack 29 attached to the rod 28b and to swing outwardly the rear door opening.

Sufliciently below the rack 75 to leave a space thereabove for the suspension of film holding frames from the rack 75 is an arrangement for catching any drip which may fall from the films supported in said holding. frames. The drip catching arrangement consists of two brace members 76, one being placed transverse to and adjacent to either door opening. Extending between the brace or frame members is a series of angle pieces 77 forming troughs 78 and deflectors 79. From the center of the housing where an inverted channel piece covers the troughs of two adjacent pieces 7'7, said pieces 77 progress both to the right and left (see Figure 1,) the deflector 79 of each piece covering the trough 78 of the succeeding piece. By such an arrangement the air passing from the films suspended from the rack 75 reaches the whole lower group of films in the form of a number of attenuated streams. If the arrangement for catching the drip was a drip pan with a solid bottom the downward passing air would be deflected about the edges thereof to make an effective sweep only of the films next to the sides of the cabinet. In no case will there be enough moisture precipitate from the upper group of films to overflow the troughs and this amount is eventually taken up by the air current forced through the cabinet.

For insuring a condition that no light will be allowed into the dark room by way of the drying device, the means illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 for permitting but one of the doors 16 or 18 to be opened at a time is provided. To the side panel' 11 are attached brackets 43 with upturned lugs suitably apertured for slidably containing rods 44 and 45. There is upon the rod 44 a stop 45a to limit the movement of the rod in one direction relative the lug 43. A similar stop 46 is provided for co-acting with the upturned lug of its associated bracket 43. The front end of the rod 44, with reference to the cabinet for housing the internal parts, con figures an oifset section 47 and a section 48 normal thereto and parallel to the main body of the rod 44. The back end of the rod 44 is supported in a short strap bracket 49 in a manner to reciprocate in a saddle 50. A catch 51 pivotally mounted at 52 upon a base 53 has an aperture 54 in the lower end thereof which is transgressed by the rod 44.

Between the saddle 50 of the bracket 49 and the apertured end of the catch 51 is a compression spring 55 disposed about the rod 44. A key 56 projecting from the body of the rod 44 just to the front of the latch 51 makes it possible for the rod 44, by being displaced to the rear, to pivot the latch 51 against the urge of the spring 55.

The back end of the rod 45 is bent in the shape of an L, while the front end is strai ht and engages a locking piece 57 by means of a pin 58 in the former and an aperture 59 in the latter. The front end of the rod 45 is reciprocably supported within a strap bracket 60. There is a base 61 upon which the catch 57 is pivotally mounted. Any displacement of the rod 45 forwardly then causes the latch piece 57 to pivot in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 6. A subsequent removal of the force displacing the rod then permits of the retraction thereof and a clockwise movement of the catch 57 by the effort 0! a compression spring 57a.

A knob 62 upon the door 16 extends through said door and engages a bolt 63 in a manner to lift the latter. With the back door closed so that said door abuts the back end of the rod 45 to displace said rod forwardly and to thus pivot the catch 57 so that the lip 64 is away from the base 61, the front door may be closed and the knob 62 turned in a manner to drop the bolt 63 into a position between the catch 57 and the base 61 and beneath the lip 64. In closing, the front door abuts the front end 48 of the rod 44 to displace said rod backwardly and pivot the locking piece 51 to withdraw the lip 65 from the base 53 and thus permit of the bolt 66 of the door 18 being dropped beneath said lip 65. The door knob 67 is provided for manipulating the bolt 66 by a turning movement.

If the front door 16 is opened, the rod 44 is allowed to retract under the urge of the spring 55 to permit of the latch piece 51 being rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 6, and to enclose the bolt 66 between the base 53 and the lip 65. Hence, the bolt 66 is in a position locking the door 18 in place and itisimpossible-toopentheroardoorwhiliethefront door is open.

A like condition exists in respect to the front door if the back door 18 is opened after the front door has been closed. That is, the rod 45 is allowed'to retract backwardly whereby the lip 64 is pivoted against the base 61 under the urge of the spring 57a and to hold the bolt 63 in a locked position.

When it is not desired to insert films into the dim drier, such as described, from within the dark room and take them from the drier from the outside of that room the drier need not be placed within a wall. In such a case where the device is not placed within the dark room wall, only one side thereof need be provided with a door for inserting and extracting the films.

Whether the device be mounted at some selected location within the dark room or within a wall of that room, the exhaust outlet may be directed to some removed exterior point.

Whatisclaimedasnewandisdesiredtobe secured by Letters Patent of the.United States is:

A film drier comprising a cabinet having an opening for the intake of air and an opening for the discharge of said air, in combination with means within said cabinet for supporting films in groups one above the other, and means for catching the drip from said groups of films, said means for catching the drip comprising angle pieces forming troughs and deflectors, the pieces being arranged in spaced progressive formation with the deflector of one piece above the trough of the adjacent piece.

LEOPOLD B. PAHBRUN. 

